Mary and Joseph in the Apostolic Exhortation: Redemptoris Custos

40 Pages·2017·0.67 MB·English

by  James J. Davis

Marian Studies
Volume 42Proceedings of the Forty-Second National
Convention of the Mariological Society of America held Article 10
in Chicago, Ill.
1991
Mary and Joseph in the Apostolic Exhortation:
Redemptoris Custos
James J. Davis
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Davis, James J. (1991) "Mary and Joseph in the Apostolic Exhortation: Redemptoris Custos,"Marian Studies: Vol. 42, Article 10.
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Davis: Apostolic Exhortation on St. Joseph
MARY AND JOSEPH
IN TilE·
APOSTOliC EXHORTATION REDEMPI'ORIS CUSTOS
INTRODUCTION
It is always an honor to be asked to prepare a research
paper for a scholarly organization. I am honored, and grate
ful to the Mariological Society of America, for the invitation
to present some reflections on the Apostolic Exhortation Re
demptoris Custos of Pope John Paul II, 15 August 1989-
particularly the document's relation to Mariology and mari
ologists. My presentation will include the following:
A. The occasion of this Apostolic Exhortation
B. Its purposes
C. An outline of the document
D. Some of its teachings in reference to Mary, the wife of
St. Joseph
E. Conclusions.
A. THE OCCASION
The occasion of Redemptoris Custos was the centenary of
the first encyclical on St. Joseph, Quamquam Pluries, of
Pope Leo XIII, 15 August 1889. His predecessor, Pius IX, 8
December 1870, had already declared Joseph "Patron of the
Universal Church," after citing Joseph's "most powerful pa
tronage" (potentissimo patrocinio). Furthermore, the follow
ing year, 7 July 1871, after noting that God had filled St. Jo
seph "with entirely unique graces," he had directed that
Joseph's feast of March 19 be celebrated under the rite of a
"double of the first class, yet without an octave, on account
of Lent."
XLII (1991) MARIAN STUDIES 133-171
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134 Apostolic Exhortation on St. joseph
Quamquam Pluries is a relatively brief (four and one-half
pages!) but most important document, considered by many
to be the theological Magna Carta of the grandeurs and su
pernatural privileges of St. Joseph. In it, Pope Leo lays
down the theological basis of Joseph's unique and eminent
supernatural mission over the Church, as decreed by divine
providence:
There are special reasons why Blessed Joseph should be ex
plicitly named Patron of the Church and why the Church in
turn should expect much from his patronage and guardianship.
For be, indeed, was the husband ofM ary and the father, as was
supposed, ofj esus Christ. Whence arise all his dignity, grace, ho
liness and glory. The dignity of the Mother of God is certainly
so sublime that nothing can surpass it; but nonetheless, since
the bond of marriage existed between joseph and the Blessed
Vi1J5in, there can be no doubt that more than any other person
be approached that supereminent dignity by which the Mother
of God is raised far above all created natures.' For marriage is
the closest possible union and relationship, whereby each
spouse mutually participates in the goods of the other. Conse
quently, if God gave joseph as spouse to the Vi1J5in, be assuredly
gave him not only as a companion in life, a witness of her vir
ginity, and the guardian of her honor, but also as a sharer in
her exalted dignity because be was the guardian of the Son of
God by divine appointment, and in the opinion of people was
His father. As a consequence, the Word of God was modestly
obedient to Joseph, was attentive to his commands, and paid
him every honor that children should render their parents. [italics
mine]
B. THE PURPOSES
The purposes of the Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris
Custos are several:
'Sed ramen quia intercessit Iosepho cum Virgine beatissima maritale
vinculum, ad illam praestantissimam dignitatem, qua naturis creatis omni
bus longissime Deipara antecellit, non est dubium quin accesserit ipse, ut
nemo magis. For the entire encyclical in Latin, see Acta Sanctae Sedis 22
(1889-90): 65-69.
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Davis: Apostolic Exhortation on St. Joseph
Apostolic Exhortation on St. joseph 135
1. To treat of "the person and mission of Saint Joseph in
the life of Christ and of the Church"-as the subtitle states.
2. To commemorate Pope Leo XIII's encyclical letter
Quamquam Pluries--"and, in line with the veneration given
to Saint Joseph over the centuries, ... to offer for your con
sideration, dear brothers and sisters, some reflections con
cerning him 'to whose custody God entrusted his most pre
cious treasures.'" (Here Pope John Paul II is quoting Pope
Pius IX.)
3. To continue the "pastoral duty" (of his papal predeces
sors) of writing and teaching about Saint Joseph-"so that
all may grow in devotion to the Patron of the Universal
Church and in love for the Saviour whom he served in such
an exemplary manner."
4. To renew and strengthen the self-image of the Church.
In the fourth paragraph of the introduction, John Paul II
writes, "I am convinced that by reflecting upon the way that
Mary's spouse shared in the divine mystery, the Church-on
the road towards the future with all of humanity-will be
enabled to discover ever anew her own identity within this
· redemptive plan, which is founded on the mystery of the In
carnation." Many have noted that this Pope's encyclical on
Jesus was titled Redemptor Hominis, his encyclical on Mary
Redemptoris Mater, and now we have Redemptoris Custos.
(He has since written Redemptoris Missio, on the Church's
missionary mandate.) He thus places St. Joseph in the heart
of our redemption. In fact, he adds in the next paragraph,
"This is precisely the mystery in which Joseph of Nazareth
'shared' like no other human being except Mary, the Mother
of the Incarnate Word."
5. To compensate for past omission. A final purpose, not
explicitly stated by Pope John Paul, but which may be seen
in this document, is to rectify a misunderstanding derived
from Chapter 8 of Lumen Gentium of Vatican II, where
Mary's role in the history of salvation is developed in such a
manner as to give the impression, especially to Bible-literate
non-Catholics, that Mary was not a married woman. For by
Jailing even to mention St. joseph the Council may have
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136 Apostolic Exhortation on St. joseph
risked dehumanizing Mary, while exalting her prerogatives,
privileges and importance. (It might be added, also, that in
the long encyclical on Mary, Redemptoris Mater, Joseph is
mentioned only five times and never explicitly as her hus
band nor she as his wife.) I shall come back to this point at
the end of this paper.
C. OUTLINE OF REDEMPTORIS CUSTOS
Introduction (1)
I. The Gospel Portrait: His Marriage to Mary (2-3)
II. The Guardian of the Mystery of God (4-16)
-The Service of Fatherhood (7-8)
-The Census (9)
-The Birth at Bethlehem (10)
-The Circumcision (11)
-Conferral of the N arne (12)
-The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (13)
-The Flight into Egypt (14)
-Jesus' Stay in the Temple (15)
-The Support and Education of Jesus of Nazareth (16) ·
III. A Just Man-A Husband (17-21)
IV. Work as an Expression of Love (22-24)
V. The Primacy of the Interior Life (25-27)
VI. Patron of the Church in our Day (28-32).2
D. REDEMPTORJS CUSTOS ON MARY
Turning to the text itself, the subtitle, introduction, and
parts I, II, and III would seem to be of chief interest to mar
iologists.
2A note on procedure and footnotes: since some readers may not have
the text of Redemptoris Custos conveniently available, I will give the en
tire pertinent text of the document and then offer my own comments, so
that the reader may compare text and context. I will not ordinarily pre
sent any footnotes of the document itself, unless there is some relation to
my own comments. The raised number-with-letter indicators enclosed in
parentheses in the text will refer to my comments.
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Davis: Apostolic Exhortation on St. Joseph
Apostolic Exhortation on St. joseph 137
The subtitle indicates clearly that the Exhortation is "on
the Person and Mission of Saint Joseph in the Life of Christ
and of the Church."
COMMENT: Note that there is no specific mention of St. Jo
seph in the life of Mary, his wife. Yet much of this docu
ment does indeed treat of Joseph in her life-and of her in
his. ·
The Latin text reads "de persona sancti Joseph et op
era ... ." 3
Introduction (No. 1)
The introduction begins with a quote from Matthew, fol
lowed by the Pope's own comment:
1. Called to be the Guardian of the Redeemer, joseph did
as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took his wife" (cf.
Mt 1:24).4
Inspired by the Gospel, the Fathers of the Church from the
earliest centuries stressed that just as Saint Joseph took loving
care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ's up
bringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ's Mysti
cal Body, that is, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the
exemplar and model.(la)
On the occasion of the centenary of Pope Leo XIII's Encycli
cal Epistle· Quamquam Pluries, and in line with the veneration
given to Saint Joseph over the centuries, I wish to offer for
your consideration, dear brothers and sisters, some reflections
concerning him "to whose custody .God entrusted his most pre
cious treasures." I gladly fulfil this pastoral duty so that all may
grow in devotion to the Patron of the Universal Church and in
love for the Saviour whom he served in such an exemplary
manner.Clb)
In this way the whole Christian people not only will tum to
Saint Joseph with greater fervor and invoke his patronage with
3J'his and all future references to the Latin text of Redemptoris Custos
are from Acta Apostolicae Sedis 82 (1990): 5-34 (hereafter cited as AA5).
4Italics here, as in all citations of this document, are as they appear in
the original.
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Marian Studies, Vol. 42 [1991], Art. 10
138 ApostoUc Exhortation on St. joseph
trust, but also will always keep before their eyes his humble,
mature way of serving and of "taking part" in the plan of salva
tion.
I am convinced that by reflecting upon the way that Mary's
spouse shared in the divine mystery, the Church--on the road
towards the future with all of humanity-will be enabled to dis
cover ever anew her own identity within this redemptive plan,
which is founded on the mystery of the Incarnation.Clc)
This is precisely the mystery in which Joseph of Nazareth
"shared" like no other human being except Mary, the Mother of
the Incarnate Word. He shared in it with her; he was involved
in the same salvific event; he was the guardian of the same
love, through the power of which the eternal Father "destined
us to be his sons through Jesus Christ" (Eph 1:5). Cld)
COMMENTS ON THE INTRODUCTION (No. 1)
(la) Right at the beginning we see the papal teaching on
the order of joseph's duties: first is his loving care of Mary,
then the rearing of jesus.
(lb) Obviously the "most precious treasures" of the Fa
ther are jesus and Mary. It should also be obvious that,
since Joseph and Mary shared the bond of marriage, all
who grow in devotion to St. joseph will also grow in love
for Mary, whom joseph served so lovingly. And should not
the converse apply to all who grow in devotion to Mary?
(lc) In the fifth paragraph of Number 1, the Pope seems,
by using italics, to allude to a major theme of his own pas
toral teaching of the past thirteen years, namely, the Re
deemer and his redemption of us all. He places joseph,
with his wife Mary, as part, so to speak, of the identity of
the Church.
(ld) The final paragraph is one of the greatest papal tes
timonies of the greatness of St. joseph and his intimate rela
tionship to Mary: ". .. sharing like no other ... sharing with
her ... guardian of the same love ...."
I. The Gospel Portrait, His Marriage to Mary (Nos. 2 and 3)
This is the Pope's interpretation of the Infancy Gospel
texts:
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Apostolic Exhortation on St.]oseph 139
2. "Joseph, Son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife,
for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will
bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save
his people from their sins" (Mt 1:20-21).
In these words we find the core of biblical truth about Saint
Joseph; they refer to that moment in his life to which the Fa
thers of the Church make special reference.C2a)
The Evangelist Matthew explains the significance of this mo
ment while also describing how Joseph lived it.C2b) However,
in order to understand fully both its content and context, it is
important to keep in mind the parallel passage in the Gospel of
Luke. In Matthew we read: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ took
place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed
to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be
with child of the Holy Spirit" (Mt 1:18). However, the origin of
Mary's pregnancy "of the Holy Spirit" is described more fully
and explicitly in what Luke tells us about the annunciation of
jesus' birth: "The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of
Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose
name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name
was Mary'' (Lk 1:26-27). The Angel's greeting, "Hail, full of
grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28) created an inner turmoil
in Mary and also moved her to reflect. Then the messenger re
assured the Virgin and at the same time revealed God's special
plan for her: "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor
with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and
bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great,
and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God
will give to him the throne of his father David" (Lk 1:30-32).
A little earlier the Gospel writer had stated that at the mo
ment of the Annunciation, Mary was "betrothed to a man
whose name was Joseph, of the house of David." The nature of
this "marriage" is explained indirectly when Mary, after hearing
what the messenger says about the birth of the child, asks,
"How can this be, since I do not know man?' (Lk 1:34). The An
gel responds: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the
power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the
child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God" (Lk 1:35).
Although Mary is already "wedded" [desponsata] to Joseph, she
will remain a virgin, because the child conceived in her at the
Annunciation was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.C2c)
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140 Apostolic Exhortation on St. joseph
At this point Luke's text coincides with Matthew 1:18 and
serves to explain what we read there. If, after her marriage [co
nubium] to Joseph, Mary "is found to be with child of the Holy
Spirit," this fact corresponds to all that the Annunciation means,
in particular to Mary's final words: "Let this be [done] to me ac
cording to your word" (Lk 1:38). In response to what is clearly
the plan of God, with the passing of days and weeks Mary's
"pregnancy" is visible to the people and to Joseph;C2d) she ap
pears before them as one who must give birth and carry within
herself the mystery of motherhood.
3. In these circumstances, "her husband [vir ejus] Joseph, be
ing a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to
send her away quietlj' (Mt 1:19). He did not know how to deal
with Mary's "astonishing" motherhood. He certainly sought an
answer to this unsettling question, but above all he sought a
way out of what was for him a difficult situation.C3a) "But as he
considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him
in a dream, saying, 'joseph, son of David, do not fear to take
Mary your wife, for what which is conceived in her is of the
Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Je
sus, for he will save his people from their sins'" (Mt 1:20-21).
There is a strict parallel between the "annunciation" in Mat
thew's text and the one in Luke.C3b) The divine messenger intro
duces joseph to the mystery of Mary's motherhood. While re
maining a virgin, she who by law is his "spouse" [sponsa] has
become a mother through the power of the Holy Spirit. And
when the Son in Mary's womb comes into the world, he must
receive the name Jesus. This was a name known among the Is
raelites and sometimes given to their sons. In this case, how
ever, it is the Son who, in accordance with the divine promise,
will bring to peifect fulfilment the meaning of the name jesus
Yehosua'-which means "God saves."
Joseph is visited by the messenger as "Mary's spouse [spon
sum],"C3c) as the one who in due time must give this nameC3d)
to the Son to be born of the Virgin of Nazareth who is married
[desponsata] to him. It is to joseph, then, that the messenger
turns, entrusting to him the responsibilities of an earthly father
with regard to Mary's Son.
"When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the
Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife" (Mt 1:24). He
took her in all the mystery of her motherhood. He took her to-
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Davis: Apostolic Exhortation on St. Joseph
Apostolic Exhortation on St. joseph 141
gether with the Son who had come into the world by the power
of the Holy Spirit. In this way be showed a readiness of will/ike
Mary's with regard to what God asked of him through the an
gel.C3e)
COMMENTS ON CHAPTER I (Nos. 2 and 3)
(2a) The Holy Father indicates once again (see the very
beginning of this document) his reliance on patristic exege
sis as the basis for his interpretations of the Gospels. He
uses no "modem" methodology, nor is any contested. He
simply accepts the way the Fathers understood these pas
sages about St. Joseph. The patristic understanding of Jo
seph's role in the Gospel story is consistent with that de
rived from contemporary literary critical studies.
(2b) How Joseph lived that moment of Joseph's "annun
ciation" (as he calls it) will be emphasized by the Pope,
mainly because we have no spoken words of Joseph.
(2c) Our contemporary custom of engagement is relatively
new in the history of humanity. For many millennia, in most
cultures, betrothal was the custom. The parents or guardians
would choose the marriage partner for their young one,
while the young person was usually not even consulted. Dur
ing the time of their betrothal, the betrothed were considered
legally married, and intercourse with any other person was
considered to be adultery, not simply fornication. At an
agreed time, the groom would go with his friends to the
home of the bride, who would be waiting with her brides
maids (see Mt 25:1-10); he would conduct her to his home,
and this would be considered the finalization of the marriage.
This was the ·situation with Joseph and Mary. To be sure,
we know nothing of their parents or families, but it is not
·necessary. It is sufficient to know that they were betrothed
and that, as Matthew (1:20) tells us, the angel told Joseph,
"do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife."
(2d) The Gospel texts do not indicate how Joseph be
came aware of Mary's pregnancy, nor when.
(3a) Through the many centuries there have been many
interpretations of Matthew 1:19, such as, Joseph was in awe
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